Each year, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) lead a “Dear Colleague” letter to be sent to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee requesting robust funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in the FY 2024 Labor, Health, and Human Services appropriations bill. Committee members view these “Dear Colleague” letters as a critical part of the process because they show the breadth of support for a specific program, making this letter’s success critical. These senators have begun circulating the letter to their Senate colleagues to obtain additional senators to sign on. An accompanying letter from the House of Representatives is expected to begin circulating shortly, and we will share it when it becomes available.

The president’s original budget request for FY 24 did not suggest as large an increase for the Perkins Basic State Grant as we had hoped, but only represents a starting point in what will be months of negotiation in Congress. Your advocacy these past few years has been critical to securing vital, yearly increases in Perkins funding; we need your help again to secure an increase for Perkins that ensures CTE can continue to meet urgent workforce needs and serve as a critical part of the country’s economic growth.

ACTION NEEDED: CLICK HERE to ask your senator to sign the “Dear Colleague” letter supporting robust funding for Perkins CTE in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill! The deadline for sign-ons is COB on Friday, April 7, 2023.

You can send a message directly using the ACTE Action Center. Additionally, if you have a direct contact in your senator's office, such as from a meeting with a staff member during NPS earlier this week or at another time, we urge you to call or email directly. You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your requested Senate office. Please contact your senator today!

On March 21, the U.S. Department of Education launched the “Your Place in Space Challenge,” which urges high school students to imagine and pursue innovative careers across the space industry. This is the first in the Department of Education’s #CTEMomentum challenge series. This annual series will help prepare students for in-demand careers and boost access to innovative CTE programs. 

High schools are invited to submit designs for a product or service that will contribute to space missions and exploration. Student teams may pursue designs of their choice or find inspiration from one of four suggested areas of exploration: space debris, the International Space Station, space travel and the environment.  

Submissions are due by 6:00 p.m. ET on October 30, 2023. Ten winners will be announced in early 2024. 

You can learn more about the Your Place in Space Challenge here.

I am excited to introduce myself as the new part-time Inclusion, Access, Equity, and Diversity (IAED) Manager for ACTE. My name is Candice Mott, and I bring over 16 years of experience in CTE and the education sector. As the IAED Manager for ACTE, I will lead certain facets of ACTE’s IAED programming, including the IAED Advisory Group and opportunities to implement new and related IAED initiatives.

My most important work in CTE is a catalyst for closing the wealth and achievement gaps for students and families. I work toward this goal daily, knowing that sustainable education opportunities create sustainable communities. My professional portfolio also includes supporting the implementation of programs of study and career and technical student organizations (CTSOs) at the school, local and state levels, creating policies around teacher licensure, and executing professional development opportunities for CTE stakeholders in the District of Columbia.

As a member of ACTE, I have been fortunate to serve our esteemed organization in various capacities, including DC ACTE President, Region and National ACTE Awards Chairperson, IAED Mentee and National Fellow. These experiences have allowed me to evaluate my work as a practitioner and servant leader within ACTE while also allowing me to contribute to the IAED programming and initiatives of the organization. These initiatives and activities were important to advancing equity and access within ACTE and the CTE community. As the National Awards Chairperson, I set goals to increase IAED within the awards program to ensure that our winners reflected the diversity of people working in CTE across the country and our membership. To achieve this, I revised our rubric scoring to include a category to evaluate the IAED work done within our CTE community.

Beyond my professional work, I have committed to supporting IAED within my community. As a parent, I cofounded the Brent Elementary Diversity Working Group, a group of dedicated parents hoping to reduce the achievement gap within my daughter’s elementary school and increase diversity among students, faculty and staff. We developed a research strategy to support internal data analysis and research to study the achievement gap between black and white students at Brent Elementary. We used this data to create an afternoon intervention program for students, resulting in a 7% increase in PARCC scores for black students at Brent. We also hosted activities to increase cultural responsiveness, hosted implicit bias training for faculty and staff, and restructured several aspects of the hiring process at the school, which informed practices at the district level as well. I also support the work of Black Millennials for Flint, a grassroots organization founded in response to the Flint water crisis. Their efforts include connecting CTE to environmental justice initiatives as a trained workforce is needed to ensure communities have the necessary infrastructure to survive.

My greatest inspiration for this work is my daughter, a black, queer CTE student that deserves a space where she is seen. I desire IAED to be more than just an initiative, but how we do CTE; through this work, that can happen. I plan to engage multiple audiences within ACTE and identify internal and external partners for collaboration to create a space that supports and empowers CTE professionals as we navigate IAED issues within the CTE community.

This week in Washington was fairly quiet for CTE-related items. Lawmakers were focused on holding the first hearings of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process, repealing military authorizations, debt limit discussions and addressing banking concerns. After a half-week in session, both chambers are back in session full-time for the next week. ACTE’s Public Policy team is busy preparing for the 2023 National Policy Seminar (NPS), which will kick off on Sunday evening with a Q and A session! In the meantime, here are some key headlines for you:

• ED Launches Career Z Challenge: This week, the U.S. Department of Education launched the Career Z Challenge, a multi-phase prize competition to expand high school student access to high-quality work-based learning (WBL). Perkins-eligible schools, districts and consortiums are invited to share their ideas for creating or enhancing WBL opportunities in CTE programs. Read more about the challenge on ACTE’s blog here, and more from the Department of Education here.

• Department of Labor Launches Initiative to Promote Equal Opportunity and Expand the Workforce in Federally Funded Infrastructure Jobs: The “Mega Construction Project Program” will focus the agency’s efforts to bring the public and private sectors together on a select group of projects known as “Megaprojects” to provide a diverse pool of qualified workers with access to good jobs in the construction trades. Megaprojects are large federal construction projects valued at $35 million or more – some part of which must be federal funding – and that last more than one year. Read more from the Department of Labor here.

• Department of Labor Selects Communities and Partners to Support Workforce Opportunities for Young People: Nine chosen “communities” comprising the Youth Systems Building Academy have been selected. Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the Youth Systems Building Academy was established in December 2022 to provide training and technical assistance to workforce systems and their community partners to help them explore, design, test, implement or expand approaches to attract young workers and support them once they join the workforce. The academy seeks to strengthen local organizations’ ability to serve young people between 16 to 24 years of age who are disconnected from school and the workforce, and those in marginalized and underrepresented communities. Read more from the Department of Labor here.

• Senate Appropriations Committee Announces Hearing Schedule: Patty Murray (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee have announced a full slate of hearings for their Committee this spring. The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee is expected to hear from the Department of Education on May 11.
• Department of Education Releases Guidance on Perkins Funding for Teacher Pipeline Activities: On March 15, the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Educaiton released guidance titled, “Strengthening the Pipeline for Career and Technical Education Teachers and Other Educators.” The document outlines how Perkins funds can be used to support CTE teacher recruitment, preparation, development, or retention of CTE educators, and how educator preparation programs can be integrated into CTE. Many local programs are already using funds in this way, but the document can be a resource.
• Department of Education Releases Perkins State Allocations for FY 23: The Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education has released the program memo outlining state funding levels for FY 23 – the funds that will begin being allocated to states on July 1 of this year. Based on the $50 million increase provided by Congress for these allocations, each state should receive an increase!

This week, the U.S. Department of Education launched the Career Z Challenge, a multi-phase prize competition to expand high school student access to high-quality work-based learning (WBL). 

Perkins-eligible schools, districts and consortiums are invited to share their ideas for creating or enhancing WBL opportunities in CTE programs. Eligible entrants will engage collaborative ecosystems of educators, businesses, industries, workforce processionals and community stakeholders to provide students across grades 9-12 with WBL that is interconnected, expansive and sustainable. Semi-finalists and finalists will be eligible for targeted technical assistance, including professional development support, webinars and training, participation in a community of practice (CoP) and a portion of a $2.5 million prize pool.

The Career Z Challenge consists of three phases:

• Phase 1: Registration, Submission and Selection (March – August 2023): Interested parties should attend an information session on April 4 at 2pm ET or May 4 at 2pm ET and register to learn more and receive updates by April 11. Proposals can be submitted from April 12 to May 24. Up to 100 semi-finalists will be selected to participate in Phase 2 of the Challenge.
• Phase 2: Implementation and Results (September 2023 – July 2024): During Phase 2, semi-finalists will receive technical assistance, participate in a CoP and have access to resources and support services. At the end of Phase 2, up to 10 finalists will be selected for Phase 3. 
• Phase 3: Acceleration and Results (August 2024 – July 2025): During Phase 3, finalists will take part in a more accelerated, intensive process. At the end of Phase 3, finalists will submit a report on their accelerated implementation, project results and sustainability plan.

This challenge is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Raise the Bar: Unlocking Career Success initiative. 

This was a busy week for CTE-related items! Much of the focus in Washington this week was on the release of the president’s budget for fiscal year 2024, what it means for CTE and subsequent responses to the budget proposal by Members of Congress. The Biden Administration will release more budget-related information next week and begin testifying before Congress soon about their requests. Additional items of focus included the debt limit and responding to domestic issues. ACTE’s Public Policy team also presented this week to congressional staff on “CTE 101,” covering the basics of CTE, Perkins funding and more. We are also in full swing preparing for the 2023 National Policy Seminar (NPS)! In the meantime, here are some news items:

• Biden Administration Releases FY24 Budget Request: On March 9, the Biden-Harris Administration released its budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2024, which will serve as an initial starting point for congressional negotiations around federal funding. The budget proposes a $43 million increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant, representing a 3% increase over the current FY 2023 funding level. Learn more about the budget here and read ACTE’s statement on the budget here.

• CTE Earmarks in FY23; Earmark Requests for FY24: ACTE has analyzed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 omnibus appropriations bill signed into law in December 2022 and identified more than 260 projects in which funding was awarded to education institutions for initiatives related to CTE and career development, equaling over $290 million. Read the complete analysis here.

• Secretary of Labor Walsh Launches Summit to Expand Access to High-Quality Careers: On March 9, Secretary of Labor convened a summit of public and private stakeholders in government, business, labor, non-profits, trade groups and more than 150 employment experts and young people to discuss how they can organize to deliver upon the Youth Employment Works strategy’s goals. Read more about the summit here.

• Department of Education Announces Finalists in Future Finder Challenge: The Department of Education has announced five finalists in the Future Finder Challenge, a $1 million challenge to reimagine career navigation for adult learners. Read more about the Future Finder Challenge here.

• Complete Slate of House-Senate Committee and Subcommittee Chairs Named: Following a series of announcements, Congress has officially confirmed the assignments for committee leaders and members across education and appropriations committees. Now that these rosters are complete, you can utilize this blog post as a resource to help you make outreach to the Members of Congress who will have the most direct impact on CTE-related funding and policies during the 118^th Congress! Read the blog here.

• Bobby Scott Introduces Bill to Expand Pell Grant Eligibility: On March 10, Rep. Bobby Scott introduced the Jobs to Compete Act, which expands Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality, short-term training programs. This is the third significant bill focused on short-term Pell this Congress, proving that it is likely to be a hot topic this year! Read more about the bill here.

• Bobby Scott Reintroduces LOAN Act: Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) reintroduced the Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act. The LOAN Act would lower the cost of college for current and future student borrowers and their families. Read more about the bill at the link above.

• Rob Wittman, Abigail Spanberger Reintroduce Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act: On March 9, Reps. Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) reintroduced the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act, which would permit the use of 529 account funds to pay for postsecondary credential program expenses. Read more about the bill here.

Measuring Secondary Program Quality: A December 2022 report by the U.S. Department of Education describes outcomes of the Department’s Quality Indicator Project, an initiative to assist states in refining the validity, reliability and accuracy of their new quality indicators under Perkins V – recognized postsecondary credential attainment, postsecondary credit attainment and work-based learning participation. This toolkit features suggestions, examples and guiding questions to help state leaders develop and refine these measures. It also describes how states have operationalized their secondary concentrator definitions, recommends business rules for CTE data reporting, and provides tips for setting state-determined performance levels for program quality indicators. ACTE’s Senior Director of Public Policy Alisha Hyslop provided content expertise to the project.

Counting Credentials: In late 2022, Credential Engine released its fourth secondary and postsecondary education credential counting report, which identified a total of 1,076,358 unique credentials in the United States. The report looked at 18 detailed credential categories across postsecondary educational institutions, massive open online course (MOOC) providers, non-academic providers and secondary schools. Researchers concluded that a total of $2.1 trillion is expended annually in the United States for the delivery and attainment of the over one million available credentials, which are offered by over 59,000 providers. The analysts also describe the lack of transparency in the credential landscape and the need for standardization to ensure credentials promote economic development and individual mobility.

Relatedly, a recent report by 1EdTech that sought to find the number of digital badges and badging platforms available in the United States identified a total of 53 platforms and 430,272 available badges; at a worldwide level, the survey reported that over 74 million badges had been issued to date.

The Value of Badges and Microcredentials: Despite their widespread use, badges and microcredentials face a problem of legitimacy since there is no widespread system in place to recognize them across state or national lines or evaluate their quality. In a recently released brief by Higher ED Dive, employers were surveyed by the University Professional and Continuing Education Association and Collegis Education on the value of microcredentials. The surveyed employers expressed that even though they value microcredentials and alternative credentials, assessing their quality can be difficult. However, despite their concerns, 23% of respondents said they believe that alternative credentials give workers real-world experience while 16% of respondents said that they help employees develop specialized skills. Finally, 13% of employers said that microcredentials and badges help improve employee performance.

Employability Skill Badges: One type of credential, employability skill credentials, enable students to demonstrate crucial workforce skills like time management, communication, problem solving and more. In Indiana, a growing number of high schools are rethinking the way they prepare students for life after graduation with the launch of a soft skill credentials badge program in certain areas of the state. The statewide program began in 2018 and has since seen more than 3,400 young people earn at least one badge. As reported in The 74, Yorktown High School, an hour northeast of Indianapolis, is launching such a program for its 800-student population.